iCrazy
by pickaxe881978
Summary: Carly loves Freddie, but what happens when she finds out that the objection of her affection loves someone else?
1. Chapter 1

Sam and Freddie are standing around Freddie's cart in the iCarly studio while they waited for Carly to come back in. "So why do you think Carly wanted us to meet her up here," Sam asked Freddie as she played with her remote. Freddie looked into his blonde best friends eyes and smiled, "I honestly have no idea," he said finishing up the final change to the iCarly website. Closing the laptop, Freddie stepped closer to Sam and had to fight the impulse to take her hand in his. Freddie had been wanting to talk to Sam about getting back together, but the time never seemed right, until now that is. "Sam, can I talk to you about something," he paused just a moment, "about us," Freddie asked hoping that Sam would be open to what he was about to suggest to her. Sam opened her mouth to respond when Carly walked back into the studio.

"Hey Sam, hey Freddie," Carly called out as she moved over to her friends. Freddie cursed the timing of Carly's entrance. Lately, it seemed like any time Freddie would try to talk to Sam, Carly would magically be there. Sam was the first to respond, "Hey Carls," she said plopping down onto one of the bean bag chairs. "Hey Carly," Freddie said sitting on the bean bag next to Sam. Freddie wasn't positive, but he could swear that Carly scowled at them, or perhaps it was just him. Before Freddie could read too much into it, Carly turned her attention to Sam. "As you guys are both aware my dad's next assignment is in Italy, and he is allowed to bring his family." Carly paused, a genuine look of unease marked her face. Sam being an impatient person quickly spoke up, "spit it out already Carly." Carly smiled at Sam's unsurprising outburst. "Dad has asked me to move to Italy with him so that we can spend some time together," Carly exhaled before continuing, "I said yes," Sam said nothing but someone should pick her jaw up off the floor.

Freddie wasn't sure if he had heard Carly correctly, "So, you're moving to Italy," he asked. "Yup," Carly said a grin spreading across her face. "So, this is the end of iCarly then?" Carly didn't miss a beat, "yup," she said again. Freddie was already becoming annoyed with Carly's repeated one-word answers. "Can you say anything other than 'yup,'" Freddie asked wholly expecting the same response, and he was not let down as she responded "yup," before kissing Freddie. Sam was taken aback by the scene playing out in front of her, "Carly! What the hell," she yelled stepping closer. Freddie for his part was trying to get away, but even as spindly as Carly is, she has one hell of a grip. After several seconds Freddie was released and backed away from someone he thought was a friend, "Carly, what the hell did you do that for?" Carly stepped back, "I, I, though you still had feelings for me," she said lowering her gaze to the floor. Freddie stared incredulously at Carly, who up to a few moments ago he had thought he knew.

Freddie's face was bright red, a mixture of embarrassment and anger, "Where did you get that idea? What did I do that could have possibly given you that idea? I haven't felt that way about you for a long time now." Freddie turned to look at Sam, "I love Sam." Carly wanted to respond but instead kept her eyes glued to the floor. Glancing over at Sam, Freddie could see that she was just as dumbfounded by what had happened as he was. Freddie was sure he needed to get out of the studio and was nearly certain that Sam did as well. "Come on Sam, let's get out of here," Freddie said taking Sam's hand. Carly watched Sam and Freddie walk out of the studio and wondered how she could have been so wrong about Freddie and that he was in love with Sam. "So Freddie is in love with Sam," Carly thought to herself, "well that is a problem, but it won't be a problem much longer," she mused heading towards the studio door.

Carly made her way down to the kitchen and pulled out the most substantial knife she could find. Next Carly grabbed her backpack and slid the knife in between two school books. Now all she needed to do was find Sam and Freddie so she could remove the one obstacle standing between herself and Freddie. Walking to the front door, Carly yelled out to her brother, "Spencer, I'm heading out for a little bit, be back in a little while." Before Spencer could even respond, Carly was already out the door and knocking on the Bensons' door. Carly put on her most innocent expression when Marissa opened her door, "Hi, Ms. Benson, is Freddie here," she asked sweetly. Marissa rolled her eyes, "no Freddie's not here. He and Sam went out, somewhere," she said disdain in her voice. Carly didn't step away, "did you need something else dodo," Marissa asked now clearly annoyed. Carly smiled at Marissa, "no, thank you, Ms. Benson," she said turning towards the stairs. If the lovebirds weren't at Freddie's, then Carly would have to find them, and she would go to the place they spend the most time.

Coming down the stairs into the lobby, Carly was surprised to see that Lewbert was nowhere in sight, which in her current mindset was ultimately a good thing for the wacky doorman. Stepping out the front door, Carly turned right and made a beeline for the Groovy Smoothie and her target. A short time later Carly walks into the Groovy Smoothie directly to the table where Freddie and Sam are sitting. "What do you want Carly," Sam vehemently asked as Carly neared the table. Ignoring Sam, Carly spoke directly to Freddie, "Freddie, I need to speak to you, privately," she said before moving to a table on the far side of the shop. Freddie looked to Sam as to ask if he should follow Carly or not. Sam nodded, as she too was curious what Carly would have to say. Sam knew that Freddie would ultimately tell her what was said if it was important.

Freddie begrudgingly made his way to the table Carly was sitting at, "what do you want," he asked as he sat down across from Carly. Without missing a beat, Carly asked, "do you truly love Sam, or is she just your runner up?" Freddie could not believe what he had just heard, and it angered him immensely, "Who the hell do you think you are? Of course, I love Sam, and no she is not my runner up as you put it." Freddie's voice increased in both volume and ire, "I would never have thought that you Carly of all people would insinuate that I don't love Sam." Freddie took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, "I would have expected something like that from my mother, not from someone that I consider," Freddie paused a moment, "no wait, considered a good friend." Freddie stood up, turned to make his way back to Sam, but stopped and turned back to Carly, "until you can get your head back on straight, I don't want to see or talk to you. I can't speak for Sam, but I'm sure she'll make her intentions known."

Hearing Freddie raise his voice was strange, to say the least, it surprised Sam enough to make her turn towards Carly and Freddie. Had he just said that he loved her for the second time in less than half an hour? Sam knew how she felt about Freddie and had her suspicions that Freddie still had feelings for her, but she had been too scared to find out for sure. Sam was mere seconds from asking him about it when Carly walked in rudely interrupted them. Freddie returned to the table where he and Sam were sitting, "I think we need to leave Sam," Freddie said casting a furious glance back at Carly. Sam looked at Freddie then at Carly, and back to Freddie, "Freddie, what's going on? What happened back there," Sam asked confusion evident on her face. While Freddie told Sam about his conversation with Carly, Carly had removed the knife from her backpack and made her way towards Sam. When Carly was within arms reach of Sam, she called her best friends name. Sam turned to face Carly, saw the knife in Carly's hand, but it was too late as Carly plunged the knife into Sam's stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone in the Groovy Smoothie jumped when Sam screamed out in pain. Sam's face was contorted not just from the pain of the knife jutting out of her stomach, but also shock at who wielded the said knife. "C, Carly, why?" Sam sputtered as she fell to her knees and passed out. Freddie quickly knelt beside the woman he loved, a woman who was now laying in a pool of her blood, "Sam, stay with me Sam," he said cradling her head in his arms. Looking up at Carly, rage filling his tear-filled eyes, "Why Carly," he yelled echoing Sam's question. Carly looked confused by Freddie's reaction, "I did it for us Freddie so that we could be together." Freddie shook angrily, "there is no us Carly. I might have had feelings for you at one time, but I haven't felt like that for a long time now." Freddie turned back to Sam, "please hold on Sam," he said as T-Bo came up beside them, "the police and paramedics are on their way. I'll make sure that Carly doesn't go anywhere, T-Bo said as he pulled out a large zip tie and wrapped it around Carly's wrists.

The paramedics were the first to arrive, instantly moving towards Sam. "Sir, you need to move out of the way," the tall blonde paramedic said as he gently nudged Freddie aside. Freddie looked at the paramedics' name tag which read Mark. The dark-haired paramedic, whose name tag read William, was already on the other side of Sam assessing the situation. "Vitals are there, but they're thready," Mark called to Will, as he continued to triage the situation. "I can't tell if the knife hit anything major, it would be better to leave it in until we can get a better look," Mark said. Will grabbed a backboard from their rig and laying it next to Sam positioned himself to move her over. The two paramedics glanced at each other, "on three," Will said as they carefully grabbed Sam's limp body. "One, two, three," Will called out moving Sam onto the board and then up onto the waiting gurney. Mark checked to verify that the knife had not dislodged nor caused any more damage. "Let's get going," Will said as they loaded Sam up into the ambulance. "I'm coming with you," Freddie said appearing suddenly next to Mark. Mark looked to his partner who nodded is approval, Mark motioned to the still open doors, "climb in, we need to go."

As the ambulance was leaving for the hospital, the police finally arrived on the scene. One of the respondents was Officer Carl, who recognized Carly right away because of the stunt that the iCarly crew pulled several years ago that culminated in a sign telling people to pee on Carl. While Carly had not been directly responsible, that debacle was her brother Spencer's doing. Officer Carl knew Carly and her brother well, a little too well for his taste. Carl walked up to T-Bo, "What happened here," he asked noting that Carly's hands were zip tied together. T-Bo looked at Carly and then to Carl, "Carly here, she, she stabbed Sam Puckett," T-Bo said trying to keep the tears welling behind his eyes from falling. Carl was visibly stunned, "she stabbed Sam Puckett," he asked confused by T-Bo's statement. "I thought those two young ladies were best friends." T-Bo looked back to Carly, "I thought so too, but something has changed." Carl nodded, "take the zip tie off of her please," he asked pulling his handcuffs from their holder.

Spencer Shay was beginning to worry about Carly, she had been gone for several hours now, and she was not responding to his texts or phone calls. Several different scenarios were racing through the older Shay's mind, and none of them were good. Carly could have been kidnapped or killed, but the real reason as to why Carly was not responding would cause Spencer to question how well he knew his younger sister. Spencer had just picked up his keys to go look for Carly when his cell phone rang, "hello," he said placing the phone to his ear. "Is this Spencer Shay, the legal guardian of Carly Shay," an unfamiliar voice asked. "This is he," Spencer responded befuddled, "who is this?" "Mr. Shay, this is Detective Marlowe of the Seattle Police Department," there was a brief pause before the detective continued. "I'm afraid I must ask you to come down to police headquarters. There has been an altercation," he said his tone serious and dour. "I'll be there as soon as I can," Spencer said hanging up on the detective. As a general rule Spencer never sped while driving, he would also never do so when going to meet with the police, but something told the elder Shay sibling that he genuinely needed to get to police headquarters as quickly as possible.

Spencer pulled into a parking lot about a block away from Seattle PD headquarters. Getting out of the car, Spencer found himself wondering what the detective meant by an altercation, and just what Carly might have to do with it. Walking through the metal and glass front doors, Spencer made his way to the front desk, "Hello, how can I help you," asked the young lady sitting behind the desk. A smile found its way onto Spencer's face, "My name is Spencer Shay, I was asked by Detective Marlowe, to come down," he said still smiling at the young lady. The young lady checked something on her computer screen, picked up the phone and dialed a four-digit number. Before the second ring finished, Spencer heard someone pick up the other end and speak to the receptionists, though he could not make out what was said. The young woman replaced the receiver, "if you will have a seat, Dt. Marlowe will be with you shortly," she said pointing toward several empty seats. Spencer could tell by the tone of her voice that she was not interested, so he walked over to the empty chairs and sat down.

True to the receptionist's words, Dt. Marlowe made his way toward Spencer just a few minutes later. "Spencer Shay," the detective said as he neared Spencer. Standing up, Spencer reached out a hand, which the detective grasped a little too firmly for Spencer's comfort, and shook the older Shay siblings hand. "Mr. Shay, are you aware of where your younger sister was about an hour ago," he asked antagonistically. The tone of the detective's voice did not escape Spencer, and he was curious as to why Dt. Marlowe was speaking to him that way. Spencer set his curiosity aside for the time being as he needed to find out what happened to bring him to police headquarters. "Carly told me she was going out for a little while, and she would be home soon. I figured she was going to the Groovy Smoothie like she normally does." Dt. Marlowe had been making notes in a small memo pad as Spencer spoke and finished his notes shortly after Spencer had stopped talking. "Mr. Shay, we arrested your sister, Carly shay for assaulting one Samantha Puckett," he said. Spencer attempted to speak, but the shock of what the detective just told him was more than he could handle, and before Spencer knew it he was passed out on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

Detective Marlowe wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it for himself. Someone passing out from receiving shocking news seemed to happen only in movies or on television, but never in real life, well not until this moment. It just so happened that a paramedic had been in the building and was walking past the waiting area when Spencer passed out. Marlowe knew the paramedic Mark very well as he had seen and interacted with him at many crime scenes over the last year and a half, but what Dt. Marlowe found utterly ironic was that Mark had been one of the paramedics on the scene of this gentleman's sister's assault. Mark looked up as he continued to bring Spencer around, "Hey Phil, what's this guys name," he asked. A slight smile crossed Marlowe's lips before responding with "his name is Spencer, Spencer Shay." Mark couldn't help but bristle slightly at the last name, "did you say, Shay, as in Carly Shay who attacked someone with a butchers knife earlier," he asked knowing that no matter what Phil's answer was would not, could not keep him from helping. "He's her brother and legal guardian," he said nodding. "I just told him what happened when he passed out." At this point, Mark had tried a few different ways to bring Spencer around, but they did not work. He could tell that Spencer was in no real danger, but he needed to get him up and off the floor of the police station.

However, just half a mile from the police station in the ER of Harborview Medical Center eighteen-year-old Sam Puckett was fighting for her life. The ambulance had gotten Sam to the hospital, but she had already lost a great deal of blood from the attack, although it could have been so much worse. When they had arrived at the ER, one of the nurses pulled Freddie away from the group working on Sam and out to the waiting room, but it was not without a fight. "No, let go of me," he shouted trying to escape the nurse's grasp. A rather large orderly who was also in the ER came to the nurse's assistance and physically lifted Freddie off the ground. "Sir, I need you to calm down," he said, but Freddie was having no part of it, "Let me go, Let me go, LET ME GO," Freddie yelled as he continued to struggle against the orderly. The orderly tightened his grip on Freddie in response, "Sir, once you calm down, I will release you," he said hoping that Freddie would calm down on his own, but if worst came to worst, the orderly had no issue with holding on until Freddie tired himself out. It took a few additional seconds, but Freddie did begin to calm down, and the orderly did as promised and let Freddie go.

Freddie's face was beet red from the exertion of the last few minutes; the orderly moved in front of Freddie, "my name is Frank, what's your name," he asked trying to calm Freddie down some more. "F, Freddie, Freddie Benson," he said his eyes locked on the floor in front of him. Frank put his hand out, "nice to meet you, Freddie," Freddie slowly took Frank's hand and shook it. "Who was that you came in with," Frank asked his tone one of genuine curiosity and concern. "Her name is Sam Puckett, she, she's my best friend," he said but stopped before saying anything more. The tone of Freddie's voice gave Frank the indication that young Mr. Benson wanted their friendship to be something more. Frank walked Freddie over to one of the benches that lined the ER hallway and sat him down. "Freddie," Frank said gently, "I get the feeling that there is something more to you and Sam. Am I wrong?" Freddie slowly shook his head no, "Sam and I dated for a while, but one night Sam and I overheard a conversation that wasn't for us, but at the time Sam and I foolishly agreed that it was, and we broke up later that same night." Freddie looked Frank in the eyes, "it was the worst decision I ever made," he said sadly. Frank understood how Freddie felt as he had been through a similar situation many years ago. "I know how you feel Freddie," Frank suddenly found himself thinking of his own experience from what had to have been almost twenty years ago and the loss of the woman he still loved to this day.

Frank's countenance significantly softened which did not go unnoticed by Freddie. "The same thing happened to you," Freddie asked, uncertain if the older man would want to or be able to share his story. Frank exhaled slowly, "it was almost twenty years ago, and it wasn't an exact duplicate of your situation, but it was close." Freddie found himself honestly curious as to what happened to Frank all those years ago. "What happened," Freddie asked hesitantly half expecting Frank to go no further with his story. Frank chuckled lightly before continuing, "well, the circumstances weren't the same as you and Sam, but Marissa and I, her family didn't think I was good enough for her. We talked about things for a couple of days before deciding to break up, and just like you Freddie, that was the worst decision I ever made." The mention of his mother's name peaked Freddie's curiosity, Marissa had never been forthcoming about past suitors, was it possible that Frank was talking about his mom? Freddie was well aware that there were likely dozens of Marissa's in the Seattle area, and there was no guarantee that Frank was even from Seattle. The likely hood of his Marissa and Freddie's mother were astronomical besides Freddie was much too worried about Sam to spend much time on that particular, train of thought.

Noticing that Freddie had calmed down, Frank took a step or two back to give him some room. "Would you be able to check and see what is going on with Sam," Freddie asked looking up at Frank, his brown eyes filled with pain and sadness. Frank smiled kindly at the young man, "I'll see what I can do Freddie, sit tight and I'll be back," Frank responded turning to head into the ER proper. Checking the time, Freddie took note that he had already been at the hospital for a little over an hour now. Ten minutes later one of the ER nurses made her way over to Freddie, "Freddie Benson," she asked stepping up to Freddie's right-hand side. "Yes," Freddie said sitting up unaware that he had been slouching in the chair. "You came in with Samantha Puckett," the nurse asked. "Sam Puckett," Freddie corrected, "she hates Samantha." The nurse raised an eyebrow, "Sam it is then," she said making a note on her tablet, no doubt adding that piece of information to Sam's chart. "Is Sam going to be okay? When can I see her? " Freddie asked impatiently. "Your friend is stable for the time being, but she did lose quite a bit of blood though. The next 48 hours will be critical. If she stays stable, then she should be just fine." Freddie was relieved to hear that Sam was currently stable, but terrified that there was still a possibility that Sam could die in the next two days. It was at that moment that Freddie promised himself that if Sam made it through this, he would tell Sam that he still loved her.

"Can I see her," Freddie asked knowing that he would not feel better until he could see her. At this point it wouldn't matter if she was awake or not, Freddie just knew that he needed to be there with her and for her. There was something in the tone of Freddie's voice that told the nurse that he would not take no for an answer, "Ms. Puckett will be moved to a room shortly. Once we know what room she will be in, either myself or another nurse will let you know." Freddie didn't like that answer. However, he accepted it since it seemed that the nurse was attempting to be as accommodating as possible, especially since Freddie was not a family member. All Freddie could do now was sit and wait.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I want to thank those of you who have read, favorited, followed, and most of all left reviews. I used the idea that one reviewer left in this chapter, and I want to thank Mike2101 for it. I hope you enjoy (even though it is a small part). Now one to the next chapter!

Freddie awoke to the sound of footsteps approaching, lifting his head he saw that the same nurse he had spoken with earlier, was walking towards him. Even though Freddie had just woken up, he stood up a little too quickly causing his head to swim. The nurse instantly took notice and grabbed Freddie's arm to steady him, "are you okay," she asked tightening her grip on Freddie's arm. Nodding, Freddie focused his attention on the nurse, "has Sam been moved into a room," he asked brushing off the fact that he almost passed out just seconds ago. The nurse released Freddie, "yes, Ms. Puckett is in room 434, but they are still getting her settled, so wait about fifteen minutes before you head up, okay?" Freddie let out the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, "thank you," he paused to check her name tag, "Lauren." Lauren smiled reassuringly, "you're welcome Mr. Benson, now remember to give them a little more time to get Ms. Puckett situated," Lauren stated once again. Freddie nodded, "of course," he said feeling somewhat relieved that Sam seemed to be out of danger for now.

Back at police headquarters, Spencer was brought into interrogation room three. Stepping through the door, Spencer sat down in the lone chair on the right-hand side of the table and waited for someone else to enter. Unknown to Spencer, two people sat behind the mirror watching and making notes as Spencer absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the table. While Dt. Marlowe and his cohort watch, Spencer suddenly jumped up from his seat screaming, "how is that even possible," he said taking his shirt off to attempt to extinguish the flames. Hearing the scream, Marlowe quickly exited the adjoining room and into the interrogation room. "What the hell," Dt. Marlowe said seeing the flames burning on the table. Thinking quickly Marlowe grabbed a pitcher of water and doused the fire with its contents, "how in the seven hells did that fire start," he asked eyeing Spencer. For his part, Spencer was just as confused if not more so than Dt. Marlowe, "I honestly have no idea why that continues to happen to me," Spencer said hanging his head in shame. Dt. Marlowe looked over to the other officer, "make sure he has nothing flammable on him, I don't want him to burn the station down," he said gruffly. Spencer knew that he had nothing flammable on him, not even a lighter, but for one reason or another, he seemed to be a human cigarette lighter. After thoroughly searching Spencer, the younger officer turned to Dt. Marlowe, "he's clean," he said allowing Spencer to sit down once again.

"Spencer, may I call you Spencer, or do you prefer Mr. Shay," Marlowe asked as he sat down across the table. Even secure in the knowledge that he had done nothing wrong, Spencer was more than a little nervous, after all the movies he had seen, Spencer couldn't help it. "Spencer is fine," he responded. Marlowe smiled, "good; now Spencer are you aware of what happened between your sister Carly Shay and Samantha Puckett?" That was the sixty-four thousand dollar question, and Spencer did not have an answer for it either. Spencer looked Dt. Marlowe in the eyes, "all I know is that something did happen, but nothing specific." Nodding the detective continued, "so tell me what you do know leading up to when Carly left your apartment." Taking a deep breath, Spencer began recounting what had happened before Carly left. "Well, Carly asked Sam and Freddie to come over because she wanted to tell them that she was moving to Italy with our dad. The three of them were upstairs for ten minutes or so before Freddie and Sam bolted out of the apartment." Dt. Marlowe took advantage of Spencer's pause, "was that out of the ordinary," Marlowe asked trying to pin down anything that might help him understand why this abhorrent act happened.

Spencer thought about the detective's question for a moment, "actually that is out of the ordinary. Usually, Sam and Freddie are at our place for hours at a time, but something happened upstairs in the studio. I remember hearing a ruckus, but it was hard to understand everything. The next thing I know, Freddie and Sam left." Dt. Marlowe's expression soured, "wait, so you heard them fighting, but you didn't think anything of it," he asked perplexed. Spencer looked at the detective like he had two heads, "have you ever dealt with teenagers detective?" Marlowe shook his head, "no my wife and I never had kids," Marlowe said, "but what does that have to do with anything," he asked quickly diverting attention away from himself. Spencer thought he caught a hint of sadness in Dt. Marlowe's answer, but far be it for him to say anything. "Teenagers tend to argue, a lot, with each other. This argument was not the first time, and I would guess, that it won't be the last either." Dt. Marlowe grimaced slightly at the last comment, "that may not be true Spencer, you see Carly stabbed Samantha Puckett at the Groovy Smoothie, and we have not heard anything from the hospital regarding her condition." Spencer was speechless he had to have heard Dt. Marlowe wrong. There was no way Carly could have or would have done what the detective had implicated.

Standing at the door of room 434, Freddie found that he was excited yet apprehensive to walk into the room. Sam may well have been out of danger currently, but from the information, he had gathered Sam was by no means out of the woods. Freddie had seen the nurses and doctors come out of Sam's room nearly ten minutes ago but was still uneasy about entering. He had no idea exactly what shape Sam was in and was more than a little frightened at what was waiting on the other side of the door. Would Sam be awake? Would she be in a lot of pain? There was only one way to find out, taking a deep breath Freddie quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Freddie was pleasantly surprised to see that Sam was awake, "hey," he said stepping over to her bedside. "Hey," Sam responded as she tried to sit up in bed, a weak smile to hide the pain she was feeling. Freddie moved quickly to help Sam not only sit up but keep her steady, "Woah up there Sam, don't try and move too much," he said as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. God, Freddie missed being able to touch Sam in anything other than an iCarly skit, but this wasn't the time to think about that. Freddie moved one of the chairs in the room closer to Sam's bed, both so he could be next to her and given that he had positioned the chair to be directly between Sam and the door, to protect her should the need arise. Finally sitting down, Freddie for better or worse, reached his hand through the side of Sam's bed and took hold of her hand.

Even in her current state, Freddie was still well aware that Sam might slug him for being presumptuous enough to hold her hand, but he didn't care. Freddie would have gladly taken whatever Sam might dish out because even though it might hurt physically for a while, the fact that he could have lost Sam forever would hurt far worse and far longer. Sam for her part just held Freddie's hand, no threats of violence or jokes. "Sam, this may not be the best time to bring this up, but after what happened, I don't think I can wait any longer," he said his eyes glistening with the threat of tears. Sam looked him in the eyes, "does this have anything to do with what you said at the Groovy Smoothie," she asked almost sure where this was heading. Freddie smiled, "yes, it does," he replied moving to take Sam's hands in both of his. "I, I still love you, Sam, and I almost lost you today. I don't think I could survive without you," he paused a moment to let what he had just said sink in. "I was hoping that you might be willing to give us another try?" There he had done it, Freddie had laid his feelings on the line, and now all he could do was hope and pray that it was all for nothing. Sam just sat there and said nothing which served to make Freddie believe that he was wrong and she didn't want to be anything more than friends.


	5. Chapter 5

Freddie felt his stomach drop as Sam continued to stay silent, how could he have been so stupid.

"I, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," Freddie said releasing Sam's hand. "I'm going to head home. I'll check in on you tomorrow," he said without making any additional eye contact with Sam. Freddie turned and headed towards the door, his heart pounding in his chest, still hoping that Sam might say something.

"Wait, Freddie, don't go," Sam called just as Freddie reached for the door. Freddie turned to face Sam, "are you sure you don't want to be alone," he asked. Sam nodded slowly, "look about what you said a few minutes ago," she started.

"Sam, it's okay if you don't feel the same about me anymore," Freddie said lowering his eyes to the ground, "but seeing you there in a pool of blood after Carly stabbed you, it made me realize exactly how much I still loved you." Freddie brought his eyes up and met Sam's, brown locking with blue.

"You know, I heard what you said to Carly, that you love me and not being a runner-up. Did you mean that?" Freddie smiled lovingly at Sam, "Yes, I did." Sam blushed despite herself, "well then nub, come back here and sit down," she said raising her hand so that Freddie could hold it again.

Freddie quickly crossed back over to Sam taking her hand as he sat back down. "So, what happened after Carly stabbed me? The only thing I remember was you catching me and laying me down on the floor. After that, it's a blank until I woke up here in my room."

Freddie had been so worried about Sam being alright that he hadn't taken any time to replay what had happened. Most of what happened after he saw the knife protruding from Sam was a blur. "To be honest Sam, a lot of It is a blur, but I do remember that T-Bo called the police and paramedics. I think he may have restrained Carly as well."

Sam's expression turned to one of uncertainty, "I still can't believe it. I can't understand why Carly attacked me, I mean I thought we were best friends," Sam said gingerly touching the freshly bandaged wound. Sighing loudly Sam looked over at Freddie, "have you heard anything about Carly? Is she going to be locked up?" Freddie stopped her before she could say anything more.

"Dt. Marlowe came to see me a few hours ago after he spoke with Spencer; Carly is locked up in a jail cell and will be there for quite a while. You don't need to worry about her right now. The only thing you need to worry about is healing up, but I will follow up with Dt. Marlowe." Freddie was relieved to see Sam relax somewhat after hearing that Carly was indeed locked up. Freddie was somewhat apprehensive when the detective had come to the hospital looking for him, but once they were finished speaking while not entirely at ease, Freddie at least felt better.

"So you said the detective talked to Spencer. How did he take all of this," Sam said yawning and wondered if it was from all the excitement of today, the medicine the doctors had given her or the fact that it was later in the evening. Truth be told it was probably all three things, but Sam didn't care right now, and not that she would mention it to anyone else, but she was pleased that Freddie was there too. Sam chuckled to herself, after all, who would have thought that she would feel okay about having Freddie near her.

"Well, Spencer was surprised. At first, he thought Dt. Marlowe was part of some god awful prank." Freddie smiled which given the circumstances Sam found strange, "What are you smiling about," she asked a slight irritation in her tone. "Well, Dt. Marlowe asked me if Spencer had ever set anything else on fire?" Now Freddie was beginning to chuckle, "so I told him that I didn't have the time to go into every single time it happened. That was when he told me about Spencer setting the interrogation room table on fire," he said giving Sam a knowing look.

It was Sam's turn to chuckle, "that sure sounds like Spencer," she said as they both began laughing. Before Sam realized it, she was laughing so hard that it caused her wound to throb. Breathing in sharply Sam's hand was instantly on her side causing the laughter to cease. "You okay," Freddie asked startled and worried by Sam's sudden gasp. "Yeah, I'm fine, just laughing a bit too hard for my own good right now," she said putting her hand back down to once again take Freddie's waiting hand. Sam's eyes darted from Freddie to her lap and then back again several times before Sam worked up the courage to voice her feelings. "Freddie," Sam said meekly. Freddie raised his eyes to meet Sam's once more, "yeah Sam," he stated quizzically. "I," she started and stopped for a few seconds, "I wanted to say thank you, for taking care of me at the Groovy Smoothie today. It," she started but was cut off again by Freddie, "you're welcome."

"Let me out of here," Carly screamed from her cell. Looking around the cell, Carly was disgusted by her surroundings and wanted more than anything to be out of this gosh forsaken place. One of the guards had made their way to her cell, "quiet down in there," the guard said his voice gruff and demanding. Carly looked at the guard, "do you know who I am? I am Carly Shay of iCarly," she said matter of factly. The guard simply stared at her for a moment, "oh I know who you are, but more importantly I know what you did. You are not going to be able to use your fame to get out of this." The expression on Carly's face changed, "what do you mean what I did?" The guard looked at her in disbelief, "Don't play dumb; you stabbed your cohost, Sam Puckett. You're damned lucky that she survived. Otherwise, you'd be looking at more serious charges."

Carly stumbled back in her cell, "no, it can't be. I would never," she said trailing off. The officer snorted loudly, "oh it's true, we have video evidence and multiple witness statements." Carly couldn't believe it, had she attacked Sam? No, the police had to have it wrong. As she continued to ponder her situation Carly's demeanor changed, "well the blonde hussy got what was coming to her. She came between Freddie and me," Carly said her tone cold and unfeeling. The officer was shocked by the change in Carly's demeanor and tone of voice; it was as if a switch had flipped in her head, "I'd better speak to Dt. Marlowe about this," he muttered to himself turning to go find the detective.

Dt. Marlowe was finishing up with Spencer when Ofc. Banks called out to him, "Dt. Marlowe!" Hearing his name Marlowe turned around to see who had called him, seeing the officer approach him he excused himself from Spencer, "will you excuse me for a moment," Marlowe asked. Spencer nodded and stepped away so the two men could speak in private. "I'm sorry to interrupt but isn't that the brother of Carly Shay," Banks asked him. Marlowe nodded, his curiosity piqued by the young officer, "why do you ask?" Banks grimaced for just a moment, "I was passing by the holding cells during my normal walkthrough when I heard the Shay girl yelling to be let out. I walked over and told her to quiet down. Well, we got into what she had done to land herself in jail, and at first, she seemed genuinely abhorred by what had occurred." Dt. Marlowe was beginning to lose his patience, "while I find this utterly fascinating, what is your point officer," he asked. "Sorry, sir. Once I told her about the overwhelming amount of evidence against her, well, she changed," Banks said not sure how to describe it. "I think this is something you, and possibly her brother, need to see for yourself."


	6. Chapter 6

Spencer, Detective Marlowe, and Officer Banks stepped into a room with three surprisingly substantial monitors, and from what Spencer could see, were images streaming in from the holding cells. Spencer was still unaware of why exactly Dt. Marlowe had asked him to come in here, but Spencer had his suspicions that it had something to do with Carly.

"Detective, not to say that I am not enjoying the tour, but why am I in here," Spencer asked feeling highly annoyed. Officer Banks sat down at what Spencer guessed was the control console for the screens they were looking at as well as the cameras providing the video feed. "Spencer, this is a live feed from every camera we have here in HQ. That includes the holding cell your sister is in," Marlowe said as Banks pulled the indicated feed to and enlarged it.

Spencer watched as the image on the middle monitor disappeared, and the image quickly changed to show Carly sitting in her cell. Carly looked like she had either just finished crying or was getting ready to. "Okay, so what was it that you wanted me to see Dt. Marlowe," Spencer asked his eyes not leaving the screen. "Banks, are we ready," Marlowe asked. Officer Banks nodded and tapped a key on the keyboard, "this video is from twenty minutes ago," Banks noted as the video began playing.

The first few minutes of the video were just like Banks had described them, but then Spencer saw what he felt he was here to see, and he could not believe his ears. "I, I can't accept this. What I just heard does not sound like my sister. Sam and Carly have been friends for like ten years. I can't think of anyone or anything that would come in between them." Spencer said with a distrustful tone. Banks turned around to face the elder Shay sibling, "I'm sorry Mr. Shay, but that is what happened. I'm afraid that Carly's mental stability needs to be tested and verified before any trial can take place."

A trial, how was Spencer supposed to tell their father about this? How would the colonel handle this? For that matter what about Grandad Shay? "Can I talk to my sister," Spencer asked hopeful that he would be able to speak with Carly and hear her side of the story. Spencer could tell that Dt. Marlowe was mulling over his request, and the longer he took to answer, the better Spencer thought his chances were of being able to do it.

After an uncomfortably long silence Dt. Marlowe finally spoke, "five minutes," he said much to Spencer's relief, "but Banks will have to be in there with you. Based on what we just saw, I don't want you in there by yourself." Spencer was about to argue with the detective but was quickly cut off, "either Banks' goes with you, or you don't go at all," Marlowe said gruffly. Spencer wasn't in the mood to argue, and he had to talk to Carly. Spencer sighed loudly, "fine," Spencer said to Dt. Marlowe before turning to Officer Banks, "come on," he said motioning for the officer to follow him.

Five minutes later Spencer and Officer Banks returned to find Dt. Marlowe speaking with someone on his desk phone. "Thank you, Dr. Hart, the prisoner, will be transferred to your facility first thing in the morning." Hanging up, Marlowe looked up at Spencer, and sighed loudly, "your sister will be transferred to the Harborview mental health division for psychological evaluation." Spencer noticed a distinct tone of irritation from the detective, "is that a bad thing Dt. Marlowe," he asked unsure as to why the man seemed irritated. Marlowe looked up at the elder Shay, "Sam Puckett is also at Harborview Hospital recovering."

Dt. Marlowe's last statement hit Spencer like a ton of bricks, "why would they send Carly to the same hospital that Sam is recovering at," he asked taken aback by the newly acquired information. "They most likely don't even know that Carly's victim is at the hospital. Besides, because of the need to keep the transfer distance to a minimum with potentially unstable people, and Harborview being the closest facility," Marlowe trailed off. Spencer understood it was all a matter of circumstances, horrible though they may be.

Spencer had one last question for the detective, "I'd like to go check on Sam and Freddie, would that be acceptable, or would that be a problem?" Marlowe thought for a moment, "I think that would be okay, but keep in mind that they may not want to see you," said as a reminder that even though Spencer had nothing to do with the attack, he was the attacker's older brother. Those words struck Spencer to his core, he would not have thought that Freddie and Sam would not want to see him, but after hearing the detectives warning, Spencer was unsure about approaching his two friends.

Despite the detective's warning, or possibly because of it, Spencer was currently making his way to Harborview Hospital where Sam was hopefully recovering from Carly's attack. Spencer tried to keep the thought of Carly being transferred to the same hospital out of his mind because if he let it in, he would need to keep it from Sam and Freddie, and that is not something Spencer was sure he would be able to do. Walking through the main entrance of Harborview, Spencer stepped up to the information desk, "Hello, can I help you," the older lady behind the counter asked. Spencer smiled politely, "Yes, can you tell me what room Samantha Puckett is in?" The lady made several keystrokes, "let see," she said scanning her screen, "Puckett, Puckett, ah here we are! Ms. Puckett is in room 434. The elevators are just through those double doors," she said turning to point at a set of doors about thirty feet away. Now it was Spencer who smiled, "thank you, ma'am," he said before moving towards the indicated doors.

Spencer quickly boarded the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. As the car slowly rose up, Spencer began to feel not only guilt over what Carly had done but also fear at the thought of two people that had become family over the years may well not want anything to do with him. After what felt like an eternity to Spencer, the elevator door finally opened up to his destination of the fourth floor. Making his way down the hall, the tightness in Spencer's chest increased with each step, and by the time he reached the door of room 434, Spencer felt like he may actually pass out. Inhaling, Spencer knocked on Sam's room door and opened it slightly, "Sam, can I come in," he asked meekly hoping that he would not be turned away outright. Although Spencer knew that Freddie would most likely be in the room as well, what happened next still surprised Spencer. No sooner had the word of his request come out of Spencer's mouth was the curtain surrounding Sam's bed ripped back to reveal a very pissed of Freddie Benson.

"You have a lot of nerve coming up here," a crimson-faced Freddie said through gritted teeth as he turned to face the newcomer to Sam's room. Spencer put his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "I didn't come up here to cause trouble," he paused before continuing, "I'm sure that I am one of the last people that you want to see right now, but I needed to see how Sam was doing." Freddie was about to lash out at the one person that was more of a father figure than his own father when Sam interrupted, "I'm fine Spence, well as fine as I can be after having a butcher knife plunged into me," Sam said in an attempt to lighten the tension in the room.

Thankfully the comment had at least a minimal effect as Freddie began to physically relax his body, which up to that point looked like he was going to sprain something. Spencer took notice of Freddie's demeanor as well and held out hope that things would not turn sour after all. Spencer looked at Freddie Benson and Sam Puckett, and even though they may not have the same last name, Sam and Freddie were Spencers family just as much as his dad, granddad, or Carly. Spencer continued to watch and worry about Freddie's reaction because at this point Spencer did not have any family to lose. After several nerve-racking minutes and deep breaths, Freddie's shoulders finally relaxed, "I'm sorry Spencer," Freddie said rather unexpectedly, "I know you had nothing to do with what happened and I had no right to take my anger for Carly out on you. Forgive me," he asked extending his hand as he stepped closer to Spencer.

The relief on Spencer's face was unmistakable as he reached out and shook Freddie's hand. "Of course," Spencer said as the two men released their handshake, and Freddie turned around to face Sam once again. Spencer stepped closer to Sam's bed, "Sam, I, I am so sorry," he started but was unable to continue his voice breaking despite his best efforts.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam wrapped her arms around Spencer as he continued to cry, "it's okay Spencer, Freddie and I both know that you had nothing to do with what happened." Spencer was ecstatic that both of them were so understanding and forgiving, but there was still the one bit of news that Spencer felt they deserved to know. "There is something else I think you guys should know," he said wiping the remaining tears from his eyes. Freddie noticed that Sam's body stiffened slightly no doubt figuring like he had that whatever Spencer had to say was about Carly.

Freddie swallowed nervously, and Sam looked crestfallen as they waited for what Spencer would say next. Spencer nervously twiddled his thumbs unsure how to tell them something that needed to be said. Taking multiple deep breaths Spencer's gaze moved from Sam to Freddie and back again. "I don't know how much you two know about what happened after the ambulance brought you to the hospital, but the short and long of it is that sometime tomorrow Carly will be transferred to this hospital for a psych evaluation," Spencer said stealing himself for the shit storm he feared would erupt.

The continued silence in the room shocked everyone in the room. Spencer was surprised that Sam wasn't flying off the handle. Freddie was shocked that Sam hadn't found a way to jump out of bed and either leave the hospital or strangle Spencer. Sam for her part was amazed that she wasn't flying off the handle at Spencer's little bombshell. After a few short minutes, Freddie was the first to say something, "Sam? Are you okay," he asked still fearful of how Sam might react. Sam inhaled deeply, "I'm not sure, but I think so," she said with a weak smile. "I mean, I'm not overly thrilled that my attacker is going to be in the same building as me, but as long as they keep Carly away from me, it should be okay."

The rest of the evening was blessedly uneventful, Spencer left for home after a few hours of chit chat, leaving the newly reunited couple to have some time to themselves. Early the next morning both Sam and Freddie were rudely awakened when one of the many doctors Sam had seen in her short time here walked in and turned on the light above her bed.

"Good morning Ms. Puckett," the doctor said cheerily. The doctor's abnormally cheerful tone of voice earned him a frustrated growl from Freddie and Sam simultaneously. Had it been later in the day and or they had both been fully awake, hearing the concurrent grumble would have been funny. Looking at the clock in Sam's hospital room showed that it was a few minutes after 6:00 AM and while he didn't sleep in as much as Sam did, this was way too damned early for Freddie as well. If the doctor hadn't had his face buried in Sam's chart, he would see the glaring stink-eye leveled at him from both of the people he just jolted awake.

Sam was in no mood to be up this early in the morning. However, she also knew that doctor's made their rounds early in the mornings to keep their schedule as clear as possible. "Morning doc," she said as her eyes finally adjusted the sudden bright lights. "I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, but unfortunately this was the only time I would be able to speak with you today."

Freddie knew Sam very well, and he was utterly in awe that she hadn't ripped the doctor a new one for waking her, but then again Sam knew he held power to either let her go home or make her stay longer. Looking up from the chart in his hand the doctor looked at Sam and smiled, "it looks like you get to go home today." Hearing this was a great relief to Freddie, but not as much of one to Sam. Freddie had seen her let out the breath that she probably didn't realize she had been holding in.

"I can go home," Sam asked excitedly. This bit of news caused Freddie to sit up and move closer to Sam. Taking Sam's hand, Freddie was now smiling, not just because Sam would be able to go home, but because he now hoped that they would be gone before Carly was transferred here for her evaluation. The doctor smiled, "I want one more check and redress of your wound, but yes you can go home," the doctor said as a nurse came into the room. "Ah, here she is now," he turned towards the nurse, "Malinda, would you please do one last check of Ms. Puckett's wound and then begin the discharge process.

Malinda smiled sweetly, "Of course doctor," she said stepping out of the room for a minute before returning with a tray of the paraphernalia needed to clean and redress a wound. Malinda turned to Freddie, "will you be helping Ms. Puckett once she's home," Malinda asked. "Yes," Freddie replied relieved that he and Sam had already hashed out several things, including the fact that she would be staying with him, at his mother's request no less. Malinda spent the next thirty minutes carefully showing Freddie how to remove the old bandages, clean and dry the wound and then redress it. Once finished, Malinda moved the tray out of the room and returned with Sam's discharge papers.

"Now for the moment you've been waiting for," Malinda said with a flourish of the paperwork. "Here is all of your discharge papers. We've gone over almost everything in here, except for when the stitches will come out. The doctor wants you to come back in a week so he can check your progress," Malinda said handing the papers to Freddie. "Try your best to keep Ms. Puckett from being overly active. Moving around at home is fine, but I would suggest that you," Malinda said pointing at Sam, "rest as much as possible." Freddie smiled, "I don't think that will be an issue," he said knowingly.

After Malinda had finished, she called down to transport so that Sam could finally head home. "It shouldn't be more than about ten minutes for transport to get up here to get you, Sam. I hope your recovery is quick and uneventful," Malinda said shaking hands with Sam and then Freddie. "Thanks," they replied in unison causing Malinda snicker, "you're welcome," Malinda replied as she stepped out of the room.

True to her words, the transport crew arrived roughly ten minutes later, "Ms. Puckett," the nurse said checking her paperwork. "That's me. I finally get to escape," Sam said jovially. "Well, Ms. Puckett, do you need help getting into the chair," the nurse asked. Standing up tentatively Sam easily made it over to the waiting wheelchair. The transport nurse smiled, "okay, let's get you out of here." Before Sam knew it, she was sitting in Freddie's passenger side seat as they carefully made their way back to his apartment.

As soon as Sam and Freddie had driven off, the transport nurse returned to her office. Picking up her phone, she dialed the security teams extension and waited for them to answer. Two rings later a husky voice picked up, "Security this is Dave." "Dave this is Jennifer from transport, Sam Puckett has been discharged and is no longer on the premises. You can escort Carly Shay in and up to the psych ward now," Jennifer said hanging up the phone.


	8. Chapter 8

Placing the receiver back into its cradle, Dave looked up at Dt. Marlowe, "Ms. Puckett has left the building, you are clear to have Ms. Shay brought in." Marlowe nodded and pulled out his radio, "Banks, bring her in." Less than a minute later the outside door of the security office opened to allow Ofc. Banks and Carly Shay to enter. Dt. Marlowe looked over the prisoner to make sure that she was secured and would not be able to escape her shackles. "Banks, Dave here will take you and Ms. Shay up to the psych ward. Except for when they are doing the evaluation I want you no more than ten feet away from her is that understood?"

Banks nodded his understanding before stepping over to Carly and grabbing the shackles, "Let's go, Shay," he said yanking the chain a little harder than he had intended. If the intensity of the pull had hurt at all, Carly let nothing slip, her face remaining expressionless. Carly was silent the entire trip to the psychiatric ward on the fifth floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened on the fifth floor, Dave and Ofc. Banks escorted Carly to the nurse's station.

The nurse on duty, Darlene recognized Carly Shay immediately both from the iCarly web show that her daughter watched, but also because of Marissa Benson and the stories she told about the Shay girl. To say that Marissa hated Carly Shay would be a stretch, but she was also not a fan of the young lady now being admitted to the psychiatric ward for an evaluation. "We've been waiting for you Dave," Darlene paused for a moment to look Carly up and down, "and the patient," Darlene finished, taking Carly's paperwork from Dave. Dave looked at Darlene deadpanned, "yeah, well there was a delay in getting her in the hospital, but now she's all yours," he said as he turned to walk away.

Darlene looked at Banks still standing next to Carly, she had already been briefed on the how and why the officer was there, and to be honest, Darlene was glad given the circumstances. Banks stood back so that Darlene could do her job, but he was never too far away from Carly, just in case something went wrong. After roughly twenty minutes, Darlene was finished and took Carly to the room that the actual evaluation would take place. After securing Carly to the chair, both Darlene and Ofc. Banks left the room so that the doctor could begin, but not before letting everyone know in no uncertain terms that he would be right outside should he be needed.

By the time Carly's psych evaluation was done, it had been well over two hours since they started. Banks had to admit that he was curious as to what was said but knew that he would not be privy to anything that was discussed. Any pertinent information to the case would only be shared with Dt. Marlowe, the prosecution and defense attorneys of the involved parties. Now that Carly was finished she would be taken back to jail. Banks grabbed is radio and contacted the cruiser that had ferried them to the hospital and told them to meet where they had initially been dropped off.

Carly stepped out of the room, and though he couldn't put his finger on it, Banks noticed something different about Carly. From the moment Carly stepped out from the evaluation until she was placed back in her cell she was utterly silent. Banks was heading to check in with Dt. Marlowe when the detective found him, "any problems with the prisoner," Marlowe asked. Banks shook his head, "not one issue, she was dead quiet during the trip to and from the hospital. It was actually slightly disconcerting." Banks' comment surprised Marlowe, "disconcerting how," Marlowe asked.

Banks exhaled slowly before continuing, "on any of the other prisoner transfers that I have done, the prisoner usually says something, even if it's just an attempt at small talk. Carly Shay was totally silent, no movement or anything. Hell, I had to look in the rearview mirror a few times to make sure she was still breathing." Marlowe's face twisted in confusion, "that's odd," he said, "according to the doctor Carly would not stop talking the during the evaluation, not that it matters all that much. Based on the report, Carly is competent to stand trial for what she did," Marlowe smiled with satisfaction that justice would be served.

Later that night, Dt. Marlowe sat at his desk reading through the doctor's report on Carly Shay. Marlowe had read many of these reports, but this one was something else. To say that Carly Shay was infatuated with Freddie Benson would have been one hell of an understatement. Everything in the report was about the Benson boy, well except for some very colorful and highly inappropriate language that should not be spoken aloud in mixed company about the Puckett girl.

Dt. Marlowe had read many of these psych evals through his long career, but this one was something else entirely. If he didn't already know that Sam and Carly had been friends and even co-hosts of the much-admired web show iCarly, Marlowe thought they would probably never have met. Leaning back into his chair, Marlowe could only imagine what Sam Puckett was thinking right now, other than most likely very grateful to be home right now. Now that the detective had all of the evidence he did, Marlowe would now need to pay a visit to Ms. Puckett to decide how she wanted to proceed. Marlowe glanced at his watch and was stunned to discover that was almost midnight. Stifling a yawn, he stood up, turned off the desk lamp and stepped out of his office.

The evening after Sam's release from the hospital was thankfully uneventful. Marissa checked Sam's dressing multiple times through the evening, wanting to make sure that if it needed to be changed that it was. Sam took all the attention in stride and actually enjoyed it since she never got any attention from her own mother. Sam fell asleep somewhere around 10 PM which left Freddie alone to mull through everything that had happened over the last couple of days. A week ago, if someone would have told Freddie Benson that he and Sam would get back together or that Carly would do something to hurt Sam, Freddie would have called them a lunatic. While Freddie didn't care for how he and Sam had gotten back together, Freddie was positively ecstatic that it had happened.

The next morning Freddie was awakened by several loud knocks on the apartment door. Bleary-eyed, Freddie got out of bed and made his way to the front door. The knocking became more insistent which was beginning to irritate Freddie, "I'm coming," he said sharply wondering who the chiz was so impatient. Looking through the peephole, Freddie was surprised to see Dt. Marlowe on the other side of the door. Freddie quickly unlocked and opened the door, "Dt. Marlowe, please come in," Freddie said stepping aside allowing the detective to enter. "I'm sorry to bother you and Ms. Puckett so early in the morning, but I need to speak with the both of you about Carly Shay." The look on the detective's face gave Freddie the distinct impression that this conversation would be thoroughly unenjoyable.


	9. Chapter 9

"Please have a seat detective," Freddie said stepping towards the hallway, "I'll get Sam, and we'll be back in a couple of minutes," he said over his shoulder and halfway to Sam's room. Reaching Sam's door, Freddie knocked lightly on it, "Sam, are you awake," he asked softly. When he didn't get a response, Freddie opened the door just enough to poke his head through and see Sam fast asleep in her bed. Sam looked so peaceful sleeping and even wearing a pair of his old Ridgeway sweatpants and one of his t-shirts, Freddie still found her to be positively stunning. Freddie shook his head, "they'll be plenty of time for that after all, this is behind us," he thought to himself as he stepped in the bedroom and closed the door.

Everyone knew that waking up Sam Puckett could be dangerous, but Freddie didn't have a choice, he had to wake her up. "Sam," he called his voice just above a whisper. Sam true to form did not budge, "Sam," Freddie said a little louder taking a couple of steps closer. Still, there was no response from Sam. Knowing this might turn out painful for him, Freddie knelt down next to Sam and lightly ran his thumb over Sam's cheek. This did garner some movement from the blonde before her eyes opened and a broad smile formed. "Hey there nub," Sam said, slowly sitting up. Sam was about to give Freddie a healthy dose of crap for waking her when she noticed the look on his face had changed.

"Dt. Marlowe is here, and he wants to speak with us," Freddie said in answer to Sam's unspoken question. Well, Sam figured this would happen, though she hoped to have a little more time to recoup before it did. Sam slowly got out of bed, "let's not keep the detective waiting," she said, grabbing Freddie's hand and heading out to the living room. Marlowe stood up when he heard the bedroom door open, "Ms. Puckett," he said, extending his hand. "Dt. Marlowe," Sam responded, shaking his hand with a strength he found surprising. With the pleasantries out of the way, Sam and Freddie sat next to each other on the couch and Marlowe taking the recliner to the left side of the sofa closest to Sam.

"Ms. Pucket," the detective began but was interrupted by Sam, "call me Sam," she said matter of factly. Marlowe nodded, "Sam, this would have usually been done at the station after the incident, but because you were transported to the ER and all of the subsequent activity since we never directly asked if you wanted to press charges. I realize that this likely seems like a stupid question given what happened, but we cannot assume anything." Sam nodded her understanding, "of all the people I thought something like this might happen, Carly was not one of them," Sam took a deep breath before continuing, "yes, I want to press charges," she said touching the bandages still wrapped around her midsection.

Marlowe pulled a clipboard and pen out of his bag and handed it to Sam, "please look over these papers and sign them. Once that is done, I would highly suggest you go find yourself a lawyer." The detective gave Sam time to look over and sign the paperwork. Once Sam was done and handed the documents back to Marlowe, and he had placed them in bag he stood up, "once you find a lawyer, have him or her contact me directly, and I will get all of the evidence we have over to them," he said before shaking each of their hands one last time. "Thank you for your time, and I hope you have a speedy recovery, Ms. Puc., sorry, Sam," he said before stepping out of the apartment. Sam barely had time to say thank you before the door shut.

Over the next couple of days, Sam had received phone calls from no less than twenty lawyers, each equally as eager as the last to get the case. In the end, Sam had decided to go with Michael Watkins, who even though he came from a smaller law firm came highly recommended. The real clincher for Mr. Watkins was actually the fact the Spencer knew him from his short stint in law school. Sam had to admit that she was surprised that Spencer was helping her and not sticking by Carly's side.

Several weeks later, Sam and Freddie were on their way to Michael's office after receiving a call from their lawyer requesting their presence. Sam had been uncharacteristically quiet in the passenger side seat, which worried Freddie. Freddie knew that Sam was more than ready to get the trial started, after all, the sooner it started, the sooner it would be over, they hoped. "So what do you think Michael wants to see us about," Freddie asked, attempting to break the silence. "I know what I want it to be about, but I honestly have no idea," Sam said as she continued to look at the window. Freddie could tell that Sam was exceedingly frustrated with the current circumstances and he wanted more than anything to fix them.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and finally be able to start getting past this," Freddie said optimistically. Sam snorted derisively, "you know what they say, you can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which fills up first," Sam replied, drawing a wry smile from Freddie. "Here we are," Freddie said, making the final turn into the parking lot of Michael's firm. Parking the car, Freddie and Sam exit and make their way to Michael's office where they were greeted by the secretary Greta. "Can I help you," Greta asked. "We are here to see Michael," Freddie responded. "Please have a seat," Greta replied, picking up the phone, "I'll let Michael know you two are here."

While they waited for Michael to come out, Sam and Freddie chatted quietly about some of the other things happening in their lives. They were talking about college's when Michael walked into the waiting room, "Sam, Freddie," he called, making his way over to the couple. "Thank you for coming in," he said, shaking each of the hands. "I can only imagine that you are wondering why I called you in." "You could say that," Sam commented sarcastically before Freddie had the opportunity to respond.

Michael couldn't help but smile as he shared the young couple's frustration regarding the delay of the trial, but today, he had a double dose of good news for them. "Please come into my office," Michael said, motioning toward his office door. "Well, I have some excellent news for you then," he said as all three of them sat down. "A court date has been set. The trial will start next Monday at 9:00 AM," Michael said with a grin. Freddie was grinning as well, but Sam looked like she could have been knocked over with a feather. Michael noticed the shocked look on Sam's face, "are you okay, Sam? I thought you'd be happy to hear this," he said concerned by Sam's reaction. Sam shook herself, "ye..yeah, I'm fine. Th..that is great news," she said before lowering her head.

Freddie was both surprised and worried about Sam's reaction. He would have thought Sam would be ecstatic to know that this would all be behind them, and they would be able to move on with their lives. Freddie looked to Michael, "Michael, can we use your office for a few minutes?" Michael nodded, "take your time and let me know when you're ready," he said, stepping out of his office and shutting the door. As soon as the door latched Freddie turned back to Sam, her head still lowered, "Sam, baby, are you sure you're okay? This was not the reaction I was expecting."

When Sam didn't pick her head up to look at him, Freddie gingerly lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes, and to his astonishment saw tears in Sam's eyes. "Hey," Freddie said softly, wiping the tears from Sam's eyes. "What's wrong, Sam? I thought this was what you wanted, so we could move on?" Sam placed her right hand on Freddie's right as he continued to wipe away tears. "I am happy," Sam replied her voice, uncharacteristically wavering, "it's just that," she paused, not sure how to put this next part into words.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I would first like to apologize for the very long delay in getting this chapter written, but life can be a pain and get in the way. Second the next chapter is going to be the final one for this story and will include a time skip so that I can finish the story the way I envisioned when I began. As always constructive criticism is still welcome, and thank you for continuing to read this story.

Freddie could tell from the look on her face that Sam was trying to figure out how to say whatever it was that she needed to say and that it was irritating her. What he could not determine was how long it might take. Freddie hugged Sam, "just take your time," he said, placing a gentle kiss on Sam's forehead. After several minutes Freddie was becoming more and more concerned, Sam was not usually lost for words, so the fact that she was having this much trouble was making him anxious. Freddie knew better than to try and rush Sam, so he continued to hold her silently, hoping that she wasn't having second thoughts.

Several minutes later, Sam's expression changed, "are we doing the right thing, Freddie," Sam asked. Her question earned her a confused look from Freddie, "what do you mean," he asked. Sam huffed before continuing, "I mean, are we doing the right thing by pursuing a civil trial as well? The state is already prosecuting her for the attack, and there is no way in hell she's not going to prison," Sam stopped for a moment to rub her wound. "I'm, I'm not sure I want to go through with this now," Sam said, her head dropping to avoid what she was sure would be a look of disappointment on Freddie's face. Freddie lifted her face to meet his, "if you don't want to do this, then we won't do it. We'll just tell Michael we've changed our minds."

Sam wasn't sure what to do, because up until the attack, Sam thought of Carly as a sister, but family or not Sam wasn't positive she would ever forgive Carly. Right now, however, all Sam wanted was to be as far away from Carly as possible. Sam exhaled slowly, "I just want to be done with this. I want as little to do with Carly as possible, and if we continue, it will merely increase that, not to mention the added stress." Sam couldn't believe just how effed up this whole situation was.

Freddie understood how Sam felt, though he hadn't been the target of Carly's attack, he was the reason behind it. Knowing he was the reason for Carly's savage attack on Sam made his stomach knot, but worse still, it made him feel guilty as well. Freddie had always thought himself a good judge of character, but looking back over everything, he chided himself for not noticing the change in Carly's demeanor sooner. For these reasons, as well as others, Freddie, like Sam, wanted nothing more to do with Carly than was absolutely necessary. "I think we know what we need to do," Freddie said as he touched Sam's cheek. "I'll let Michael know what we've decided." The look on Sam's face said thank you, even if she hadn't.

Stepping out of the temporarily commandeered office, Freddie walked over to Michael. "Everything okay," Michael asked once Freddie reached him. Watching from Michael's office, Sam could see the young attorney's face fall slightly when Freddie delivered their decision. The two men headed back to the office Michael coming in first, "Sam, Freddie just informed me of your decision, and I would just like to say that I completely understand the choice the two of you came to regarding the lawsuit." Michael said a sincere smile spreading across his face, "I'll stop by with any remaining paperwork so we can get all of this resolved," he said, shaking hands with each of them as they left his office.

As soon as the pair stepped outside, Sam sighed with relief. Freddie wrapped an arm around her as they made their way back to Freddie's car, "you going to be alright," he asked. Sam exhaled loudly, "I think so," she said, turning to face Freddie, "I know I don't say things like this very often, but thank you." "You're welcome princess Puckett," Freddie replied before leaning down to kiss her. Freddie opened the passenger door for Sam, "Come on, let's go home," he said, letting her climb in before closing the door.

As Carly's trial date approached, both Sam and Freddie were both becoming more and more nervous. Even with all of the assurances of the prosecution, Sam and Freddie still had that niggling feeling that Carly might not get any significant punishment due to her celebrity status. What would they do if Carly only received a slap on the wrist? Would Sam want to stay in Seattle or move elsewhere to start anew somewhere else? The only thing that Freddie knew for sure was that he would remain by Sam's side no matter what, even if that meant not being in Seattle.

Carly's trial only lasted two days, but during those two days, Sam and Freddie were on pins and needles. Freddie had insisted that Sam should stay at the apartment with him and his mother until this was over. "I am not staying in the same apartment as your crazy mother," Sam said after Freddie made the suggestion. "Come on, Sam," Freddie said, taking her hand, "I would feel much better knowing you are here and safe." Sam gave Freddie a look that he knew all too well, "and yes, I do know that you don't need me or anyone else to keep you safe," Freddie said, his voice trailing off as he turned away.

Sam stepped up, placing a hand on Freddie's shoulder, "what else were you getting ready to say," she asked impatiently. Freddie looked Sam in the eyes, "look, you know how I feel about you, or I hope you do. Even with what is going on with Carly, being with you these last few months has made me realize how much I love you," Freddie paused again, "I'm not proposing or anything like that, not yet at least, but I want you to know that no matter what happens we are in this together." Sam stood motionless for several moments taking in and processing what she had just heard. She couldn't believe it, Freddie really did love her. Sam lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Freddie, "I love you too, nub," she said with a chuckle, "and thank you." "No problem, princess Puckett," Freddie said with a smile.

The day of Carly's sentencing was both a comfort and a curse. While they were both ready to finally put their business with Carly behind them, Sam and Freddie were still unsure that Carly would get what she deserved. Freddie had done some research on his own regarding sentencing for attempted murder, and he found himself hoping that Carly would receive the maximum sentence.

Sam and Freddie sat in one of several meeting rooms in the courthouse, watching Carly's sentencing via closed-circuit television. This was done as much to keep them away from the reporters and other onlookers as it was a request from Sam to not be in the actual courtroom. Once the courtroom had come to order, the judge turned to the jury foreman, "madam foreman, have you reached a verdict?" The foreman nodded, "we have your honor," she said, handing a piece of paper to the bailiff to here left. The bailiff took the paper, stepped to the judge, and handed it over. Glancing at it, the judge folded it up and handed it back to the bailiff, "ladies and gentlemen of the jury, how do you find the defendant?"

The foreman glanced over at Carly, before returning her gaze back to the judge, "We the jury find the defendant Carlotta Cheyenne Shay guilty of attempted murder." As soon as the verdict was delivered, Sam could feel the weight of the past few months being lifted. Turning the TV off, Freddie turned to Sam, "it's finally over Sam," he said kissing her. "Carly is going to prison for a long time, and we can finally move on with our lives."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Well, I finally finished the chapter and the story. I apologize for taking so long, but what can I say other than sometimes life just gets in the way. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this story and all the issues it had along the way. Also, to Mike2101 I intentionally didn't say how long Carly's sentence was going to be as I wanted to use it in this chapter. Now on to the story.

It's been five years since Carly was sent to prison for her attack on Sam. Freddie and Sam have been married for two and a half years, and Sam is pregnant with their first child.

Driving down I-5 towards home, Freddie's phone begins to ring. Glancing at the number, it was not instantly recognizable but was still familiar to him, so he answered. "Hello," he said as the call connected. "Is this Freddie Benson," an unfamiliar female voice asked. "This is he," Freddie responded, curiosity beginning to get the best of him. "Mr. Benson, this is Officer Purcell at the Washington Corrections Center for Women." Hearing that this call was coming from the prison that Carly was incarcerated gave Freddie an uneasy feeling, "What can I do for you, Officer Purcell," Freddie asked. The line was quiet for longer than Freddie liked, which only increased that uneasy feeling, "Mr. Benson, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but Carly Shay was unintentionally released two days ago."

Freddie was dumbstruck, had really just been told that Carly was mistakenly released? "Mr. Benson, are you there," Officer Purcell asked when there was no response. "Yes, I'm still here," Freddie replied as the anger he felt boiled ever closer to the surface. "Carly was supposed to be serving a minimum of fifteen-years, just how in the hell did she get released," Freddie asked his voice questioning and disgusted at the same time. His tone was not lost on the officer on the other end of the line, "Mr. Benson, I know this is upsetting news, but," she tried to apologize, but was cut off, "you're damned right this is upsetting news. It took us almost two years to get to a point where our lives were back to relative normalcy." It was at this point that the true nature of the call hit Freddie.

"Do you even know where Carly is," he asked, although he was sure he knew the answer; otherwise, they wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Purcell attempted several times to answer, but no matter how she thought to word her answer, she still didn't want to say it. No police officer ever wants to tell a victim or their family that the assailant was now free because of a mistake. "Officer Purcell, are you still there," Freddie asked the anger evident in his voice. Purcell cleared her throat, "yes, I am still here, and no, we, unfortunately, do not know where Ms. Shay is." Actually hearing the answer made Freddie livid, he wanted to yell, scream, berate Purcell, but in all actuality, Purcell was simply the messenger.

Taking several deep breaths to calm himself, Freddie needed as much information as he could get, "tell me what happened." For the next ten minutes, Freddie listened as Purcell informed him of the foul-up in the paperwork that inadvertently released Carly instead of another woman who had already served her time. Freddie finished the phone call just before pulling into the driveway of their home, and for the first time, Freddie did not want to go inside. There was no getting around what he would have to tell Sam, but Freddie was glad that the prison had called him and not Sam; otherwise, he'd likely have to bail Sam out.

Getting out of the car, Freddie stopped at the front door, took a deep breath, and turned the knob. "Hey, nub," Sam said, stepping out from the kitchen, "dinner is almost," but Freddie interrupted her, "Sam, I need to talk to you," he said, stepping into the living room. Sam followed her husband into the living room and sat down next to him. Sam waited for a few moments, but Freddie said nothing, "what did you want to talk to me about," she asked. Sam took note of the look on Freddie's face, and it made her uneasy.

Freddie knew that telling Sam about Carly was going to be difficult, but this was ridiculous. He was going to have to treat it like pulling band-aid and just rip it off, "I got a call tonight on my way home," he paused for a moment before blurting out the rest, "the prison called and they told me that Carly was mistakenly released two days ago," he said bracing for what he expected would be a terrible reaction from Sam. However, no sooner had the words left his mouth that Sam's faced dropped as she absent-mindedly ran a finger over the barely-there scar on her now protruding stomach. "H, How did it happen," Sam asked anger beginning to rise inside her.

Freddie relayed the details given to him by Purcell, all except the one he knew would wazz Sam off. "So let me get this straight, Carly was released because those idiots at the prison couldn't tell a twenty-something from a fifty-five-year-old woman," she asked incredulously. "P, Pretty much," Freddie responded earning, him a curious look from Sam. This wasn't good Freddie thought to himself, Sam had heard him stutter, so she knew he was holding something back. Sam narrowed her eyes at Freddie, "alright, Frednub, there's something you aren't telling me, now spill it."

He really should have known that trying to holdout on Sam wouldn't work, but Freddie truly felt he had Sam's best interest in mind. Doing his best to avoid his wife's eyes, Freddie racked his brain to find the best way to tell her that Carly was still crazy and that she could be in extreme danger. Freddie exhaled sharply, "the therapist that was working with Carly reported that she hasn't made any real progress. Carly still thinks that she and I should be together, and well, you know what happened last time she was around the two of us."

Sam was pretty sure that she would never forget what happened that day, not because of the lingering scar from the assault, but because Sam had lost her best friend. "Do they think that Carly might be on her way here," Sam asked the concern evident in her voice. Freddie swallowed hard, "they think she is likely already here," he said matter of factly. Freddie thought he saw a flash of fear in Sam's eyes, but he couldn't blame her, considering Carly had damn near killed her. Freddie moved over to Sam and wrapped his arms around her, "even if Carly did come back here, she wouldn't know where to begin looking for us. Our address is not in the phonebooks or their online equivalent, and if she tried to do a search for us, she wouldn't find any current information. Hell, if you look me up, it says I still live at Bushwell."

Sam was well aware of the steps Freddie had taken to maintain their privacy for just this reason, but she still felt uneasy, Carly may not have been a computer genius, but she always managed to find whatever she was looking for. Sam was about to bring up that point when Freddie's phone rang. Freddie pulled the phone out of his pants pocket and checked the caller ID, "it's Jeff, I need to see what he wants" he said clearly not enthused that his boss was calling after hours. Answering the call, Freddie headed into his home office, not because he needed privacy, but because he knew how much Sam didn't want to hear work conversations.

Freddie was still on the phone with Jeff when he heard the doorbell ring. Jeff had heard it as well as he asked Freddie if he needed to get the door, "no, Sam's out there, she'll get it," Freddie responded, continuing the phone call. Sam made her way from the kitchen, where she had started dinner to answer the door since Freddie was still on his phone call. Reaching the door, Sam unlocked the deadbolt and was about to turn the knob when the door was violently pushed into her stomach. Sam cried out as she lost her balance and fell to the floor, grabbing her stomach. Once she was able, Sam turned to read the riot act to whoever was on the other side of their door but froze in her tracks.

"You should see the look on your face," the brunette haired woman standing said a scornful smile plastered on her face as she stepped inside and slammed the door shut. "Carly!" Sam yelled as she scooted back to put some distance between herself and Carly. Even though Freddie was in his home office, he heard what was going on quite clearly, "Jeff, I need you to do me a favor, please," Freddie said, walking over to the wall safe behind his desk. "Sure, Freddie, what is it," Jeff said, concerned by the tone of Freddie's voice. "I need you to call the police, tell them that it's an emergency and that Carly Shay is here," he said, pulling a small revolver out of the safe.

Freddie didn't wait for Jeff to say anything else, hanging up the phone and quickly loading the weapon. One way or another, this business with Carly was going to end. Stepping out of the office, Freddie was able to hear more clearly what was going on in the living room. "Wow, Sam, you're pregnant. Who's the father? I know that can't be Freddie's baby. I mean, after all, he is mine," Carly cackled, pulling out a rather large butcher knife. Sam didn't want to do anything to exacerbate the situation, so she said nothing. "That is my baby Carly," Freddie said as he stepped out of the hallway with the gun held so Carly would see it.

Seeing Freddie, Carly turned her attention to him and began to approach him, the knife still in her hands, positioned to attack. Raising the weapon Freddie aimed at Carly's center mass, "don't take another step, Carly. I don't want to hurt you, but I will do whatever is necessary to protect my family," Freddie said as he moved closer to Sam. Once Freddie was close enough, he reached down to help Sam, "are you alright Sam," he asked pulling her to her feet. "Probably going to have a bruise, but yeah, I'm okay," Sam said, rubbing her right side. Freddie placed himself in front of Sam, "if you want to get to Sam, you'll have to go through me, Carly," Freddie growled. Carly looked him up and down as if she were sizing him up, "well, Freddie, you certainly have changed, more forceful, confident, I like it."

Freddie grimaced, "I don't care if you like it, Carly, I'm with Sam, and there is nothing you can do about it." Carly rolled her eyes and stepped closer, "oh my dear Freddie, of course, there is something I could do," she said, pantomiming slitting a throat. Freddie pulled the hammer back, "don't come any closer," he said, hoping that Carly wouldn't push him to shoot her. Glancing out the front window, Freddie could just begin to make out the telltale sight of flashing red and blue lights, making their way down the street. Less than two minutes later, the police were approaching the Benson home, weapons drawn. The lead officer checked the front door and found that it was unlocked. Glancing back to the officers behind him, he silently counted down from three and at one gave the knob a quick turned, "police!" he shouted as he and the officers made their way into the house.

Carly, surprised by the police showing up, looked back and forth between Freddie and Sam on one side and the police on the other. Freddie saw the look on Carly's face, he knew what was going through Carly's mind, "Carly, don't," he warned. Carly looked at Sam and then Freddie, "Freddie, you and I were meant to be together," she said a little too calmly, "but I can see that you really do love Sam." Carly inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly, "but if I can't have you, then no one can," she screamed, lunging at Freddie. As fast as Carly was, Freddie was faster, and his first shot struck Carly in the chest before she had taken two steps.

Carly dropped the knife as she fell to the floor. Freddie lowered his weapon and placed it on the ground as one of the officers checked Carly, "she's dead," he said, being unable to find a pulse. Freddie wrapped his arms tightly around Sam's shaking body, "are you okay," he asked, still overcome by what had just transpired. All Sam could do was nod her head, "It's finally over Sam," Freddie said as he continued to hold her, "it's finally over."

Given the history between the Benson's and Carly Shay, and the reports of the police officers on the scene, no charges were brought against Freddie. Things slowly returned to normal for the Benson's, and a little over three months after everything had taken place, Freddie and Sam welcomed their firstborn, a daughter named Lauren Faith Benson.


End file.
